Beautifully realized stop motion animated I Am Frankelda has to be one of the most stunning movies of the year. With imagery that recalls Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, directors Roy Ambirz and Arturo Ambriz do an incredible job at paying tribute whilst paving their own exciting way into the future. At times, the visuals are garish by design—dwelling in the dream realm, the juxtaposition against the real world should be studied. The seamless transitions occur more than once, immersing our characters into a riveting storyline. With excellent writing so good it could be penned by Frankelda herself, I Am Frankelda promises a bold future ahead for its skilled team of animators.
A mystical evil-looking book is our window into this musical horror tale of two realms. The first is one we know well: the 19th century human world, where the realities of life can be more horrific than the ones found in a fantasy. This realm is called The Realm of Existence. The other on just the other side has been aptly dubbed The Realm of Spooks. In this world, a Royal Nightmarer provides the fuel to humans that will keep the wheels of the world spinning in time. A king and queen rule over this realm, but a terrible sickness sweeping through threatens to destroy life as they know it. The Realm of Spooks could be destined for a terrible tragedy.
Enter: little Francesca, an orphaned girl who turns to writing stories as an escape from her bleak reality. In this society, Francesca’s prose are not appreciated. Told that art and literature should emulate reality and that a woman should not be writing genre pieces, she creates the moniker of Frankelda to pen whatever stories she desires. When Prince Herenval, a sort of bird creature, comes to the human world for help, he recruits Frankelda as a spook. Perhaps if he can bring in a human writer to help spruce up human nightmares, the worsening health of his parents and the realm at large can be remedied. The villain, dastardly spider Nightmarer Procustes, no longer produces nightmares that scare humans. Procustes conspires to bring together separate clans to creature a cult to infiltrate the Realm of Existence. It becomes up to Frankelda to find a way to overcome Procustes and his sinister plot.
As outlandish as this may appear to be, it remains perfectly accompanied by colorful and detailed visuals. This echoes down to every character design—these are emotive characters with bold personalities. In the credits, we glimpse some of the meticulous design work that went into creating and animating the realms. Stop-motion animation is always a very time-consuming process, but the sheer quality of the work speaks for itself. Even the musical tunes are an excellent addition to the sprawling world building. A beautiful duet shared together on the sea of spirits, with ghostly hands outstretched and a ship creature aiding Frankelda and Herneval across the passageway, is beautiful to behold. Mixed mediums come together in a spectacular way in an elborate and ambitious song cataloging the lore of the film. Each scene appears more stunningly realized than the last in a sheer showcase for the marvelousness of Mexican animation.
Sometimes you can see a still from a movie and nothing more, and simply know that as a viewer, it will connect to your soul. I Am Frankelda was one such movie, especially as a lover of stop motion animation. Mexican folklore has been beautifully folded into this intimate story, an extension of HBO Max series, Frankelda’s Book of Spooks. Animated over a period of three years, the passion for the project can be felt in every colorful frame. Despite having no familiarity with the property whatsoever, it’s impossible not to fall in love with the bold storytelling and unique style.
I Am Frankelda debuted at 2025’s Fantasia Film Festival.
